Process automation in healthcare: investment in the future
Process automation is revolutionising the Swiss healthcare system with its ability to reduce healthcare costs and improve patient care. The introduction of related solutions requires careful planning – and an experienced technology partner.
September 2024, text: Christoph Widmer 5 min.
High cost pressure, an ageing population, growing patient numbers and skills shortages: the healthcare system – in Switzerland and elsewhere – is facing profound challenges. At the same time, patients increasingly expect high-quality, timely and personalised care. Smooth, efficient workflows are essential today, especially in hospitals and institutions providing outpatient and inpatient long-term care, in order to counteract rising healthcare costs and reduce the burden on skilled workers.
Within this complex framework, service providers are under growing pressure to improve their operations through digitalisation. Process automation in particular is increasingly seen as a key technology for effectively addressing today’s healthcare challenges. ‘Service providers can use process automation to cost-effectively minimise repetitive work,’ explains Dr Sebastian Pfeiffer, Product Manager & Business Developer at Swisscom. ‘In addition to the efficiency gains, this also improves the quality of patient care, as highly trained staff have more time to focus directly on patients.’
More efficient administration
Process automation holds enormous potential, especially in respect of patient administration. Automated systems are faster at completing repeatable, rule-based tasks in particular and make fewer errors in the process.
Take, for example, the sending of discharge reports to referring doctors: automated systems can retrieve the required documents from the hospital information system (HIS), practice information system (PIS) or laboratory information system (LIS) and send them in personalised form to the referring physician – promptly, completely and without errors. Invoices, which – dealt with manually – are often complex, time-consuming and prone to error, can be handled quickly and precisely between insurers and healthcare payers thanks to automated systems. And instead of holding on the phone for ages, patients can book their appointments themselves using automated online systems – which not only reduces double bookings and scheduling conflicts, but also cuts down on the workload for administrative staff.
Comprehensive patient care
In addition, possible applications of process automation extend to other areas of the healthcare sector. Automated systems can play a key role in monitoring patients and responding quickly to changes in their state of health. For example, vital data can be continuously tracked using sensors and networked devices, and patients can be reminded to take their medicine in order to help them to follow and stick with their treatment plan.
In addition, automated systems are able to standardise and centralise the documentation of patient data. Doctors and nurses have access to the latest information at all times, which facilitates decision-making and creates the basis for individualised treatment. ‘Automation therefore not only promotes process efficiency, but also precision and reliability in medical care,’ explains Sebastian Pfeiffer.
Already a reality
We can see from Swiss hospitals and institutions providing outpatient and inpatient long-term care that automated processes are already established in the local healthcare sector. Some (anonymised) examples:
- Billing of inpatient hospital cases: Automated integration of the OASI number into SAP for unambiguous identification of insured persons for billing inpatient cases with health insurers and cantons.
Number of processes/cases with a missing OASI number per month: approx. 100.
Number of process hours that can be automated per month: approx. 4. - Identification of real-time medical quality indicators (‘live MQI’) at institutions providing outpatient and inpatient long-term care: Current benchmark data on medical quality indicators is outdated and does not reflect the present quality of care. The bot provides live MQI data so that institutions can promptly introduce measures to improve the quality of care.
- Medical prescriptions for long-term care: An integrated Power BI dashboard displays deviations between actual and target values on a daily basis. Staff in care management and controlling departments see immediately whether all prescribed services have been recorded/used. If this is not the case, nurses can take appropriate measures promptly based on this data. The billing process can also be initiated on this basis.Number of automated process hours per year: 1,056.
These deployment scenarios are just the beginning. Technological developments in the field of process automation will lead to many more applications. However, it is difficult to make reliable forecasts here – and hospitals and long-term care facilities are therefore faced with a challenge: they need to keep abreast of technological progress, continually consider the use of new solutions and adapt the necessary infrastructure accordingly. In other words, only by actively addressing digitalisation can service providers remain competitive and profitable in the long term.
Precise planning required
The introduction of automation technologies requires careful planning and implementation. Healthcare institutions should first analyse and optimise their processes in order to avoid inefficient workflows before identifying the most suitable ones for automation – also in terms of costs: ‘Often, it’s the small processes that should be automated first,’ says Sebastian Pfeiffer. ‘In general, it’s important to carry out a thorough cost-benefit analysis in order to make an informed decision about investment in automation and realistically estimate the expected payback periods. Some studies and reports suggest that investments in automation technologies can often pay for themselves within one to three years. For smaller, lower-cost automation projects, however, payback periods of just three to six months are also quite realistic.’
The scale of any automation project needs to be carefully considered for this: such technologies require a robust infrastructure geared to them to enable systems to function interoperably and communicate with each other. Staff training is essential so that employees can deal with the new technologies and understand how they make their work easier and better. Pilot projects within a controlled framework can also deliver important insights for a broader rollout. Finally, at post-implementation stage, processes should be continuously monitored and optimised as needed to ensure that the new systems deliver the greatest possible benefit. This is the only way to fully realise the long-term benefits of process automation.
IT partner with industry knowledge
The choice of technology partner is therefore decisive for the success of process automation. In addition to technical know-how, the partner should have an in-depth understanding of the complex regulatory and data protection provisions that apply in the healthcare sector. According to Sebastian Pfeiffer, ‘It is essential to work with a technology partner who understands not only the technical requirements, but also the specific needs and challenges of the healthcare sector. A good technology partner will offer the necessary services in a flexible and modular way – from the initial consultation and the establishment and provision of infrastructures, system services and licences through to ongoing optimisation. It will also help to implement specific use cases and ensure reliable operation at all times.’